The Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) and NCM Fathom announced today the third and final performance of the LA Phil LIVE second season featuring world-renowned Music Director Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil with jazz legend Herbie Hancock for a celebration of quintessential American composer George Gershwin on Sunday, March 18 at 2 p.m. Pacific / 5 p.m. Eastern.

LA Phil LIVE: Gustavo Dudamel and Herbie Hancock Celebrate Gershwin, pre-recorded from the LA Phil’s 2011-12 season Opening Night Concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall, includes some of the composer’s best-loved works including the Cuban Overture, An American in Paris, and Rhapsody in Blue, as well as intimate solo improvisations by Hancock on Embraceable You and Someone to Watch Over Me. The event also features exclusive footage of Hancock – the LA Phil’s Creative Chair for Jazz – in his home, playing Gershwin and providing insights into his improvisational process.

Tickets for LA Phil LIVE in-theater events are available at participating U.S. theater box offices and online at www.fathomevents.com. For a complete list of theater locations and ticket prices, please visit the website (theaters and participants are subject to change). LA Phil LIVE will be shown in select movie theaters through NCM’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network.

LA Phil LIVE’s second performance of the season, LA Phil LIVE: Dudamel conducts Mahler 8, “Symphony of a Thousand,” on Saturday, February 18 at 2 p.m. Pacific / 5 p.m. Eastern will offer a never-before-seen live broadcast from Caracas, Venezuela, featuring Dudamel leading the two organizations that have been so prominent in his life, the LA Phil and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela in a dynamic performance of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, “Symphony of a Thousand.” The live broadcast will be hosted by award-winning actor John Lithgow, who hosted his first LA Phil LIVE performance in June 2011. Multiple soloists and choruses will also be part of the performance. This exceptional presentation is the climactic performance of The Mahler Project – one of the pillars of the LA Phil’s season – which features Mahler’s complete symphonic cycle presented in both Los Angeles and Caracas.

“This is a special moment for me, especially since the Los Angeles Philharmonic coming to Venezuela is a beautiful homage to El Sistema,” said Dudamel. “Bringing one of the world's best orchestras together with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, a symbol of El Sistema, sends a message of hope for the musical youth of the country. Playing the Mahler 8th Symphony together will be historic.”

Fathom and the LA Phil will present an encore of LA Phil LIVE: Dudamel conducts Mahler 8, “Symphony of a Thousand,” in select theaters on Wednesday, February 29, at 7 p.m. local time.

“The LA Phil LIVE concert from Caracas will mark the first time that we have broadcast live to cinemas from anywhere except Walt Disney Concert Hall,” said LA Phil President and CEO Deborah Borda. “For this extraordinary event, we’ll see Gustavo Dudamel in his home town, leading his two musical families in a performance of Mahler’s legendary ‘Symphony of a Thousand.’ It promises to be a momentous occasion. The final broadcast for this season will be the transmission of our Opening Night Gala featuring soloist Herbie Hancock, at Walt Disney Concert Hall, from last October. We are both thrilled and honored to be able to share these remarkable concerts with viewers across North America.”

LA Phil LIVE offers an enriching and unique concert experience in which the orchestra’s performance is broadcast to theaters in high definition and 5.1 digital surround sound, featuring top talent and behind-the-scenes segments. Led by vibrant Dudamel, the LA Phil LIVE series transports audiences to the conductor’s podium and places them inside the music. Each broadcast includes an insider’s look via the Backstage Pass feature with live behind-the-scenes interviews with Dudamel, soloists and LA Phil musicians and exclusive rehearsal footage.

“The in-theater event on February 18 will transport audiences to Caracas to see the spectacle of 1,000 musicians performing together in this amazing performance,” said Dan Diamond, senior vice president of NCM Fathom. “And fans of Gershwin won’t want to miss this must-see event featuring Oscar® and Grammy®-award-winning musician Herbie Hancock this March. Seeing Gustavo DudaMel Bring symphony to life on the silver screen is an experience fans have to see to believe.”